Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s State Epidemiologist during Covid, has made his written submission to the U.K. Covid Inquiry, and it contains a “barrage of uncomfortable facts delivered in typical Nordic deadpan”, says UnHerd‘s Freddie Sayers. Here’s an excerpt.
Tegnell, both revered and reviled as the architect of Sweden’s more laissez-faire Covid response, begins by restating the fundamentals in answer to a series of written questions. What was Sweden’s approach to lockdowns? “No formal lockdown used.” What about so-called “circuit-breaker” mini lockdowns? “None used.” And what was the overall result in terms of excess deaths, or the number of people who died as a result of the Covid period? “Excess mortality differs slightly depending on the method but Sweden is at the same level as the Nordic countries and sometimes lower. The U.K. has a considerably higher excess mortality.” Ouch.
Frankly, Dr. Tegnell needn’t have said anything else. The combination of these two datapoints alone — that the only country in Europe to avoid lockdowns entirely emerged with the lowest excess death count of the whole continent — should be enough for any fair-minded evaluation of the evidence to conclude that lockdowns were a mistake. The minimum evidential threshold for a policy experiment so radical and so destructive to society must surely be that it definitely saved lives; this threshold was not met, and in fact the Swedish example suggests that the policy may well have cost lives in the longer term.
The reason the inquiry invited Dr. Tegnell to answer questions was to convict Boris Johnson of recklessness in not imposing a second lockdown sooner in September 2020. Tegnell attended a now-famous Zoom meeting with Johnson and Sunak alongside Professors Sunetra Gupta, Carl Heneghan and John Edmunds in that month, to hear from alternative voices. The theory is that they delayed the autumn lockdown in part as a result of this meeting.
In his evidence to the inquiry, Tegnell meticulously avoids the traps being set for him, insisting that on the Zoom call he shared information about the Swedish experience but avoided giving specific advice about whether the U.K. should lock down or not. Indeed, in a memo written to the U.K. Government at the time and shared with the inquiry this week, he concludes that the U.K. should take action of some kind, but in doing so should be guided by evidence.
“The short answer to the question [of whether the U.K. Government should intervene] is in my opinion yes,” he wrote in September 2020. “The myth that Sweden did nothing during the pandemic is false. We have initiated a wide range of activities not least in the area of communication.” There was advice to work from home where possible, for example, and to self-isolate while you are symptomatic.
But throughout, Tegnell relentlessly places emphasis on the need for evidence: if he was not convinced that a particular measure provably worked (for example mandating face masks) he refused to introduce it. As a result, except a few notices on trains for some months in 2021, Sweden avoided face-masks entirely.
Perhaps the most interesting section of Dr Tegnell’s evidence is his analysis of the impact of the Swedish constitution. Unlike in most parliamentary democracies including the U.K., Swedish politicians are forbidden from interfering in the work of the Government agencies, including the health agency. …
In other words, the real reason Sweden resisted the global rush to lockdowns in 2020 was that its technocrats (such as Tegnell) were all-powerful. … It’s a paradox that will not sit well with many anti-lockdown campaigners who see the evil technocracy as the problem, and want to sweep away the ‘blob’.
Worth reading in full.
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Newsom has effectively destroyed much of what was good in California. It will be interesting to see how this is moderated.
Fair enough but whilst, for a time, Ron DeSantis looked like the great white hope, in the end I feel he has proved a disappointment . He seems to be in thrall to some of his big business backers, I guess in USA politics, money talks and he who pays the piper calls the tune and some very wealthy people are very much calling his tune. I am now very wary of being too enthusiastic for Ron Desantis.
It’s not necessarily what he achieved. It’s who he’s shown himself to be.
By having the guts to listen to independent opinion in the face of a huge storm of criticism (“DeathSantis”, mass-murderer, etc), while also retaining the veneer of clean political discourse he’s earned my cudos-points already. I’m not a US-resident/voter but otherwise I would be making my mark for him.
I don’t want him to be always right. I want to know his principles beforehand, and for him to stick to them. Not kow-towing to corporate idiots is a second bonus point from me.
I don’t think he’ll win though. There are enough people terrified of a truth-speaker that it’s possible he’ll probably fail respectably and fade quietly away.
I do hope not…
I’m with you ,in a real world Ron would be Potus !
Steve there are also wealthy people on Newsomes side , Nancy Pelosi is related to him ! At least Ron’s Rich posse are on our side + he was a breath of fresh air during Convid lockdowns in which Gav was filmed scoffing in a posh restaurant !
I’m not sure why you deserve 6 downvotes Steve. But hey -ho.
https://off-guardian.org/2023/11/30/discuss-henry-kissinger-dead-at-100/
An excellent quick look at Kissinger’s career of terror.
https://off-guardian.org/2023/11/30/comparing-coverage-dublin-riots-vs-black-lives-matter/
Dublin riots compared to the George Floyd BLM riots.
For this hypocrite to accuse RDS of being an “expert in hindsight” makes my blood boil. He was a principled “expert in foresight” who made a very difficult call in the teeth of a storm. He stood up to the “DeathSantis” smears. In hindsight, he was one of few brave enough to ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’.
Whether or not he wins, he has my respect already.
I’m not from the US, so not voting there. If I could, I would.
Kudos nonetheless.
If by some quirk he wins, I hope he retains his independance
Superficial I know, but Newsom looks like the wrong’un out of the two in the photos above.
He has ruined California ! Worst thing is ! He’s up to be BIDENS replacement ! So could be Potus 🤯
The covid common cold coronavirus panic, the ‘stuffed shirt’ self gratifiers on display at the inquiry have shown us just how dim most of those believing themselves to be today’s ‘establishment’ really are……
I believe RDS is better than that……
I’d love to see a Presidential run-off between DeSantis and Robert Kennedy Junior.
They are both by far the best candidates.